Ibid
by Yeghishe
Summary: Canon Divergence/Alternate Universe. Drabble Fiction. Newly hired and exceedingly surly Severus Snape, Potions Master, terrorizes the halls of Hogwarts, along with his unruly classroom. His chief amusement, however, is to plague the Latin teacher to the very edge of her endurance.
1. fimus : dung, dirt, filth, manure

.

**Ibid.**

(Latin, abbreviation of Latin _ibidem_ 'in the same place.')

Used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in previously.

* * *

**Hogwarts, July 1982 **

**fimus : **_dung, dirt, filth, manure._

* * *

The preterm staff meetings promised to be as abysmal as he suspected they would be. No one could even look him in the eye, much less acknowledge his presence. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who he already hated simply for her position, had recoiled so violently when his robe had billowed near her as he stalked by that he had relegated himself to a corner to sulk and glare at all of his former teachers.

Then _she_ breezed in.

She greeted Albus first, in a voice too low to catch, and then began to circle the bustling room.

* * *

_A tiny Canon Divergence tale told in morsels & edited by the incomparable renaid._

* * *

_This is a work of drabble fiction, and clearly labeled as such. By definition a drabble is one hundred words in length (although there is room for alternate exploration). Generally the purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space._


	2. novus : new, fresh, young, inexperienced

**.**

**novus : **_new, fresh, young, inexperienced, revived, refreshed._

* * *

"Hullo, Maeve O'Connacht."

He stared down at violet eyes. Somehow she had made the rounds without him noticing.

"Looks like we are the only fresh teachers," she continued in a teasing undertone, extending her hand to shake. Her accent was posh, but there was a certain waver to her tone that betrayed her Irish heritage. "Best stick close together."

He stared down at her slender hand before meeting her gaze. With a deliberate sniff, he hissed, "I don't have the time or patience to play nursemaid to incompetent new teachers." With one last disdainful look he flounced to the table.

* * *

_Edited by the unequaled renaid._


	3. despecto : overlook, despise

**.**

**despecto : **_overlook, despise, look down upon._

* * *

Peeking back he saw her standing unmoved by his corner, regarding him with a faintly puzzled, narrow eyed look. Good, she was well on her way to despising him already, but she couldn't ever hate him more than he loathed himself.

He fisted his hands in his trousers and focused on breathing deeply and evenly.

Everyone stared, but no one was more surprised than he, when the chair next to him gently scraped against the floor and Maeve slipped into it with a rustle of dark robes.

He had a biting remark ready, but she didn't even glance his way.

* * *

_Edited by the matchless renaid._


	4. prae - pre dulcis : exceedingly sweet

**.**

**prae dulcis / pre dulcis : **_exceedingly sweet._

* * *

It was impossible to pay attention to what Albus was nattering on about, much less affect a bored expression, with a sweet smelling and suspicious acting witch next to him.

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce our two new teachers this term: most of you know Severus Snape, who just left us four years ago."

Severus felt his cheeks heat in acute embarrassment. Yes, remind them how young he was and what a dirty, awkward, miserable child he had been.

"And Maeve O'Connacht, our new Latin for Spell Crafting Teacher."

She ducked her pretty brown head in shy greeting.

* * *

_Edited by the nonpareil renaid._


	5. ordo : rank, class, order

**.**

**ordo : **_rank, class, order._

* * *

She sat next to the only empty seat at the very edge of the high table. It would make sense that she got shafted—sitting next to the evil Death Eater wasn't a chore that the other teachers would be vying for.

She gave him a tiny, tentative smile and he scowled as hard as he could, throwing himself into the chair with a hissing sigh.

She immediately turned her full attention back to her plate, cutting delicate slivers of roast beef.

Severus stared stonily out over the empty hall, attempting to relish the feeling of looking down on the small tables.

* * *

_Edited by the unquenchable renaid._


	6. pactum : agreement, contract, covenant

**.**

**pactum : **_agreement, contract, covenant, pact._

* * *

August dragged by, interminably long. He spent it puttering about at Hogwarts because he had nowhere else to go—his father had made it incredibly clear that he wasn't welcome at his childhood home any longer, and watching his mother fade was becoming unbearable.

It did, however, have a trio of advantages. Albus could keep a keen eye on him and remind him of his pledge whenever the fancy struck him. Also, he had not eaten so well in the four years since he graduated. Finally, the Latin teacher was spending the end of her summer at the castle, also.


	7. lues : plague, pestilence, calamity

**.**

**lues : **_plague, pestilence, calamity._

* * *

He would have died before he admitted it to anyone, but there was a certain bittersweet novelty about having someone who didn't seem to detest the very sight of him or act as though the air around him carried a contagious illness of evil.

She sat next to him at the high table, choosing the same seat even when others were available, narrowing the gap between him and the other teachers. She hung back and waited for him when the faculty moved between rooms. And, most distressingly of all, she always greeted him with a respectfully toned, "Hullo, Master Severus."


	8. victor : victor, winner

**. **

**victor : **_victor, winner._

* * *

The first time she had said his given name he had rounded on her in fury. Even with the addition of his educational appellation, her informality was going too far.

One look at her little smile and wide, innocent eyes had caused him to pause, mouth half open.

"Er…good morning, Miss O'Connacht," he had heard himself saying in a strangely shrill tone.

"Oh, just Maeve, please." She had beamed then, and so fast he almost missed it, gave his elbow a friendly squeeze as she passed him.

He was left feeling rather disoriented and suspicious that she won a victory.


	9. feteo : to have a bad odor, stink

**.**

**feteo : **_to have a bad odor, stink._

* * *

She was watching him from the wide windowsill, haloed by the burnished gold of the sunset over the grounds. They had been in the library for hours—her presumably because the Latin texts spread over the stone seat were for more than looks and him because the dungeons were lonely and cold. Not at all because he knew she would be there. She _would_ be there, and she wouldn't sniff and sigh as though he brought a putrid smell in with him. But she wouldn't stop studying him from over the gold-edged pages with wide, unprejudiced eyes.

"What?" he snapped.

* * *

_Edited by the exceptional renaid._


	10. considero : to look at, regard carefully

**.**

**considero : **_to look at, regard carefully._

* * *

She didn't answer for a long moment, but she was smiling again, and when he arched an impatient eyebrow at her, she finally spoke. "You've got ink on your lips. Did you know?"

And he realized he had been chewing his quill, a bad habit from school that he thought he had broken.

Flushing, he clamped a few fingers over his lips and leaned forward so his hair fell around his face in a thick curtain of mortification.

She stood and stretched languidly before stacking her books. "Goodnight, Master Severus," she said when she had finished.

He didn't bother replying.

* * *

_Edited by the phenomenal renaid._


	11. noceo : to do harm to, inflict injury

**.**

**noceo : **_to do harm to, inflict injury, hurt._

* * *

He was ready for her delicately radiant smile the next morning at breakfast: "Do you always look so horridly cheerful in the mornings or do you reserve that particular honor for me as your table mate?" It was a low blow and particularly poorly worded—not at all the snappy, witty set down that he had imagined.

Maeve blinked up at him, her brows furrowing and the violet of her eyes darkening unexpectedly. "Just for you, Master Severus," she said primly before dropping into her seat.

Severus settled himself uncomfortably in his own chair, feeling rather worse off all around.

* * *

_Edited by the unbelievable renaid._


	12. acidus : sharp, sour

**.**

**acidus : **_sharp, sour._

* * *

"Well, what are they paying you for? Not to dig up the lawn surely." Severus sneered down at the woman up to her elbows in black, loamy dirt.

She sighed and looked up at him, asking tiredly, "How did you find me?"

"Not by looking for you, surely," he said, a trifle too quickly.

She shook her head and turned away. "The Headmaster has given me this corner's keeping."

Severus sniffed jealously, wondering what _he_ would have to do for Albus to get a little plot to call his own. "And what will you grow? _Pretty _flowers?" he asked acidly.

* * *

_Edited by les exceptionnelle renaid._


	13. ventus : wind

**. **

**ventus : **_wind._

* * *

"Tis a bee garden." She seemed tired, stretched thin perhaps, and beginning to crumble a bit around the edges. "Herbs, perennials, and annuals—so yes, pretty flowers."

He watched for a long moment as the wind ruffled through the plants and stirred her chestnut tresses.

"It will be autumn in only a few weeks—you're wasting your time," he said stiffly. "There will be no bees."

She stood and brushed past him with a tight smile. "You're right; what was I thinking?"

He stared after her, feeling remorseful and dangerously off balance, and furious that she could make him so.

* * *

_Edited by the only renaid._


	14. causa : on account of, for the sake of

**. **

**causa :**_on account of, for the sake of._

* * *

She stood framed in the doorway of his office, a sheaf of papers in her slender hands. "I've just come round—"

"I can see that," he said in his most patronizing tone.

"Oh, do shut up a moment!" Maeve stamped her foot, shocking him into momentary silence. "I've come round to compare our syllabi."

"And what ever would make you think that I would show _you_ anyof my teaching materials?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know—a scrap of decency? Perhaps a little interdisciplinary cooperation? Or maybe just to be bloody _nice_ for once!" She whirled away.

* * *

_Edited by the unthinkable renaid._


	15. absens, absentis : absent, missing, away

**.**

**absens, absentis : **_absent, missing, away, gone._

* * *

He waited for her to come back all evening without any luck, and when he went to dinner she was absent.

Flitwick was fluttering to McGonagall, "And Professor O'Connacht! What a gem. She is building her Latin curriculum, especially for the first few years, around what they will be learning in their other classes. Has she asked you for your syllabi yet?"

"Oh yes, we had quite the conversation over tea this afternoon.

Severus pressed his lips together to mask his own disappointment, though he would never admit it, that he had missed out on a companionable tea and chat.

* * *

_Edited by the un-foolish renaid._


	16. ambulo : to walk

**.**

**ambulo : **_to walk._

* * *

He had paced the hallway for at least half an hour longer than was decent and the large sheaf of papers he held in his arms was beginning to get heavy.

"Get yourself together, Snape," he muttered, glaring at the only painting, a young boy with a parakeet, who dared watch him.

Rounding the corner, he stomped down the hall and gave the unassuming door at the end of it a swift kick.

"Coming," came the singsong reply.

Maeve swung the door wide, the bright smile of greeting on her full lips fading slightly as she looked up at him.

* * *

_Edited by the ever patient renaid._


	17. perscitus : very clever

**.**

**perscitus : **_very clever, exceedingly sharp._

* * *

There was a rather awkward moment of silence until she seemed to recollect herself. "Professor, what a surprise—would you like some tea?"

He suspected she offered reflexively instead of out of any true desire to see him, but he had no compunction about sneering and sweeping past into her office with a muttered, "Please."

She stood in the doorway for another breath while he dumped the papers on the coffee table that sat between two comfortable looking chairs in front of a cheery fire. When he glanced back at her, she was studying him with a shrewd gaze.

* * *

_Edited by the clever renaid._


	18. luna : moon

**.**

**luna : **_moon._

* * *

Her office was homey and comfortable. She had a large desk, of course, but the room was set up more as a sitting room with large chairs, full bookshelves, floor to ceiling windows, and a wide fireplace over which hung a painting depicting the triple moon goddess in her three forms: the Maiden under the waxing moon, the Mother under the full moon, and the Crone under the waning moon.

She knelt on the hearth and swung the kettle over the fire. The china was all mismatched and rather charming in its own way, although he would never admit it.

* * *

_Edited by the rather charming renaid._


	19. vicissitudo : change, alteration

**.**

**vicissitudo : **_change, alteration._

* * *

The tea was poured and it was delicious, although he did not complement it or the baked goods he suspected were homemade.

"So…" she trailed off, glancing between him and the papers. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

He searched her face for mockery but could discern only confusion.

"I brought my syllabi." He nodded to the pile.

She blinked. "Thank you. But why the change of heart?"

He frowned and took another chocolate biscuit. "It's your fault, you know. You didn't tell me why you wanted them."

He was surprised when she began to laugh.

* * *

_Edited by the unchangeable renaid. _


	20. culpa : fault, blame

**.**

**culpa : **_fault, blame._

* * *

"My fault?" But she was smiling, and he almost smiled back before catching himself and sneering instead. "Well, I suppose it is then. Shall I start again?"

He suspected she was teasing him, but instead of snapping, he took a long drink of tea.

"Professor Snape, if it's not too much trouble, I would love to see your syllabi so that I can make sure your students are prepared for your classes."

He nudged the papers forward with his boot. "They are obviously confidential. If I find out you've let anyone else look at them—well, just hope I don't."

* * *

_Edited by Professor Renaid. _


	21. indutiae : suspension of hostilities

**.**

**indutiae : **_truce, armistice, suspension of hostilities._

* * *

A smile blossomed over her face again as she nibbled absently on a raspberry scone. "I understand; you can be confident that I will guard them with my life."

He rolled his eyes but felt gratified.

They sat in companionable silence, or perhaps it was only a mutual truce.

Maeve flipped through the papers with a quiet rustle and made notes on her parchment.

Severus studied the painting and then watched the fire lick away at the logs in the grating. Somewhere, between one breath and the next, he sank into the chair with a sigh and closed his eyes.

* * *

_Edited by the comma-monster renaid. _


	22. somnus : sleep

**.**

**somnus : **_sleep._

* * *

When he woke again the daylight had faded, but the fire was built to burn brightly. There was a quilt tucked around his shoulders and the tea things had been cleared away. He heard a light scratching behind him and twisted around looked behind him. Maeve sat at the desk, quill scratching away as books hovered at eye level and slowly rotated around her like a gentle hurricane of knowledge.

He settled back into his chair with a sigh. If someone had told yesterday him he would fall asleep in Maeve's office, he would have hexed them soundly.

* * *

_Edited by expectant renaid._


	23. audacia : boldness, daring, audacity

**.**

**audacia : **_boldness, dash, daring, audacity._

* * *

He heard her lay the quill aside and come round to perch on the other chair. "You missed dinner; are you hungry?"

"Why didn't you wake me?" '_As soon as I had the temerity to fall asleep in the first place,'_ hung unspoken between them.

A tender smile that he couldn't quite believe lit her face. "You look as though you don't sleep enough as it is."

"I sleep just fine, thanks. Not that its any of _your_ business," he growled pushing the quilt away.

She shrugged and returned to her desk. "My chair is always open to you, Severus."

* * *

_Edited by the most audacious renaid!_


	24. querulus : complaining, whining

**.**

**querulus : **_complaining, whining, lamenting._

* * *

He had fled her office in a snit, but thankfully before he said anything terribly insulting. He _was _hungry and now he would eat alone, absently filling his mouth with whatever the elves were willing to bring him, while he read an old, musty text. He disabled the complex wards to his sitting room and let himself into the cold, stale room. No fire greeted him. The chairs were uncomfortable, although not for lack of transfiguration attempts, and no decorations adorned the stone walls.

With a depressed glance around the bare room, he headed for the bedroom with dragging steps.

* * *

_Edited by renaid, who knew how it would be._


	25. terror : fright, fear, terror

**.**

**terror : **_fright, fear, terror._

* * *

She was waiting for him at breakfast with a smile and a cup of tea prepared just the way he liked it.

"It's hard to believe the students will arrive in a week."

"Hmm," he grunted, unwilling to explain his dread. There would be students who remembered him from his own miserable years, who remembered the nicknames and the bullying; first years who could have witnessed his lowest point and its aftermath; children whose parents denounced him as a Death Eater in front of the Wizengamot.

No, it was not hard to believe, but it was hard not to panic.

* * *

_Edited by renaid who is rather like my personal Wizengamot._


	26. facultas : power, means, opportunity

**.**

**facultas **: _power, means, opportunity, capacity, ability, stock._

* * *

He refused the tea of course, and said something abusive about her tea making abilities and drugging him the afternoon before. He had coffee instead—wincing at its bitter taste while the steaming liquid at his elbow taunted him.

She dimmed slightly. "As if _I _could slip an elixir in a Potion Master's tea. You either have a very high opinion of me or a low opinion of your own abilities." She raised a bite to her lips, pausing at the last second "Or you are being an arse on purpose."

He frowned and put another sugar in his cup.

* * *

_Edited by renaid who always gives my original characters a chance._


	27. fortis : strong, brave

**.**

**fortis : **_strong, brave._

* * *

She ignored him for the rest of the meal, engaging Trelawney in a dubious conversation about the Latin terms for the Inner Eye and whether or not there was still an Oracle of Delphi. Severus glared at his bacon as though it might fry itself crispier on his plate and settled for toast and a hefty scoop of bitter marmalade.

He was surprised, however, when she stood to leave the table; she leaded over and whispered, "If you're brave enough to come back to my office, I have some questions about your units."

He inclined his head, eyes straight ahead.

* * *

_Edited by the magnificent renaid who is unfailingly generous with her marmalade._


	28. absconditus : hidden, concealed

**.**

**absconditus : **_hidden, concealed._

* * *

As soon as she was gone, he cast a diagnostic spell over the tea, just for the principle of the thing and finding nothing—of course—drank it down immediately. It was perfect, dark and rich with two sugars.

He closed his eyes for a moment and nearly jumped out of his chair when Trelawney leaned close to whisper breathily in his ear, "She's possessing of a hidden psychic spark."

"Bloody hell," he hissed, flinching back.

She glared at him, her thick glasses lenses making her eyes look three times their normal size. "Watch your tongue, young man," she frowned.

* * *

_Edited by the ever diagnostic renaid._


	29. vulgivagus : wandering, itinerant

**.**

**vulgivagus : **_wandering, vagrant, itinerant._

* * *

He wandered the halls around Maeve's office, wondering if it was too soon to make an appearance and why he was bothering in the first place.  
He rounded the corner and nearly collided with the woman herself.

"Good afternoon." She smiled and brushed past him.

He was left in the hall, lamenting his lost chance while being annoyed with her for stealing it from him.

After a moment, he gave chase, staying far enough behind her that she would not notice him. As he suspected, she left the castle and out into the August sunshine, straight to her bee garden.

* * *

_Edited by the wandering renaid._


	30. hortus ortus : garden

**.**

**hortus ortus : **_garden._

* * *

She may have left it in shambles the last time he had seen it, but she had been hard at work since. There was a glass roof that stretched from wall to wall and the framework for a similar structure on the open side. There were more plants as well. He recognized the large swatches of sage and fennel, the stocks of hollyhock, and the beginning of a clump of zinnia.

He might have called out to her, asked her if she needed help, or complimented the roofing solution to the changing season. Instead, he wandered away silently to brood.

* * *

_Edited by the comma wrestling renaid._


End file.
